Well, now you are going in the right direction and that has to be a good thing. You're working in java, then, from the description of your environment. We've had fun problems trying to provide production support for a couple Java based web-apps at work that keep blowing out their JVM memory limits. Restarting tomcat because the app killed itself is no fun.

I'm trying to be VERY careful about Phase II on this application. I'm going to be redesigning and rewriting it from the ground up, but it also will include significant new functionality that is really needed by the app, and some that is being pushed in by the customer which I'm not certain is actually needed. Have to wait and see about it.

Can you provide an accessible, but GOOD intro to design patterns? It keeps cropping up around me but I don't have any direct knowledge yet and I think it is something I need to know.